A NSW company has been fined for a second time in a year for failing to transport waste with adequate covering.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA NSW) issued two new penalty notices to Terjon Services on 7 September for failing to avoid the escape of waste during transportation and aggravated littering.
The EPA had previously fined the company $1,400 on 21 November 2014 for the same offences.
In September 2014, January 2015 and again in March 2015, Terjon Services was caught transporting waste without adequate coverings. All of these instances saw a significant amount of loose rubbish, such as plastic bags, bottles and paper products, fly out of the top of trucks into the surrounding environment.
In July this year, EPA officers patrolling the Wollongong area again noticed a Terjon Services truck with plastic bag waste spilling from the top. EPA officers noted that the rubbish posed a serious road hazard to motorists travelling along Picton Road. In its defence, Terjon Services said that it had repaired the cover on its truck to make sure it was working properly.
As a result of the July 2015 incident, and given the company’s environmental compliance track record, Terjon Services was issued two penalty notices totalling $2,400.
“Waste transport companies need to make sure that their loads are properly contained, and that both road users and the environment are not put at risk.” said Head of Waste Compliance – Wollongong, NSW EPA, Cate Woods.
“The EPA actively follows up on all reports of improper transport, and is monitoring the actions and behaviour of a number of companies who operate in the Illawarra region,” she added.